The Savior
by blueidpanda
Summary: Leah Clearwater thought her life was doomed to be pitiful forever, that is, until a certain someone steps in and changes everything. Will Leah accept the help? Or Will she stay locked inside her misery until the day she dies? LeahxOC
1. Leah Clearwater

**A.N. **_This is my third imprint story, I absolutely love them, can you tell? Ok, so, I got this really great idea for a Leah imprint story, and I had to write it! This is just the prelude, the next chapter should be up soon! So I hope you guys like it! Please review, and I own nothing, but the plot and the characters you don't see in the Twilight books. Now, without further adieu, please enjoy. _

* * *

Love, what a stupid word, a stupid emotion too. Who needed love? It just ended up hurting you in the end anyway. Why do people believe in it? Even if it doesn't believe in them, believe in their happiness, their well-being. Love only takes, it never gives. It takes your heart, then it takes your freedom, what do you get out of love?… Nothing, that is the answer, absolutely nothing.

* * *

Leah Clearwater, yup that was me, the bitch of the entire pack. The one and only female dog, and the biggest pain in the neck around. Sure, I wasn't always like that, but around the males, what else was the sole female to do? I sure as hell wasn't going to let them get to me, no flippin' way! I had pride, and if anyone ever challenged it, they would end up looking like minced meat. No one messed with Leah Clearwater without a good ass kicking, no one… except that one pain the ass that had to come ruin my rep. The one who made my cold, broken self, feel that vile emotion. The one I told myself to disperse of long ago after the Sam incident. That despicable emotion… love.

My story starts off like most stories do. I had a great life, a great boyfriend, awesome parents, a caring brother. I think the one thing that didn't change was my brother, he has always been there, even through the tough times where I lost everything, where _we_ lost everything. He never stopped smiling, I didn't know how it was possible, because I couldn't smile anymore. Not after everything that has happened.

First in the long chain of horrible events, my cousin, Emily, came for a visit, well, that visit turned into her never leaving the place because she had to go and imprint with _my_ first love, my boyfriend at the time, Sam Uley. I loved that stupid man, yes, strange I know, but I loved him, and she had to go and take it away from me. I was bitter because of it, bitter to the very core of my being. I forgave Emily of course, she had always been like a sister to me, and I could never hate her, but I hated Sam. Hated him for hurting me this way. I knew he felt guilty about it, I could hear it in his thoughts every damned day, but I didn't care, he should. I wanted him to feel at least an ounce of the pain I had felt, at least a little bit.

Second, my father died of a heart attack. I had always been close to my father, the pain of losing him was a heavy blow, probably even worse than Sam and Emily shacking up. He was my rock, my safe harbor. He helped me through losing Sam, and I was starting to feel a lot better about the situation, then he left me. He left me all alone in the world. I was so lost, I didn't know what to do anymore, so I hid it all away, I kept all the pain, betrayal, hate, sadness, locked up inside of me to never come out again. I didn't want to feel it anymore, it was too much for me to handle. Yet there was Seth.

Sure, our father's death changed him, but he stayed strong. He stayed strong for his sister who couldn't, and for his mother who was broken. I felt sorry for the kid, but I clung to him, clung to his warmth that he had inherited from our father. Without Seth, I don't know where I would be now, probably dead, ya, that sounded about right. Without Seth, I'd be dead.

Now, quite a few years have passed, and my mother was moving on, she was now dating Charlie Swan, the chief of police in Forks. I liked Charlie, and he was doing a world of good for my mom, I was happy for them, but I was still the same. I was still cold and distant from everyone, even my mother. The only one who kept me from offing myself was Seth. Yet now, he had imprinted as well, leaving me to fend for myself as my mother and brother moved on, but I stayed the same. It was like I was just stuck, doomed to stay in the world of depression and darkness I had built around me. That was my safe harbor now, because there was no one else to cling too, they were all moving on, leaving me in the dust. There was nothing else for me to do, I was a lost cause.

That was until that fateful day, the day I was saved. The day that man reached into my little pool of depression and dragged me to shore. I could breathe again, I could smile again, and I could love again. He was my savior, and I owed him everything, but could give him nothing but myself, and my precious heart that I strived to protect. It was all I had, but yet, it was enough for him.

Now here is the story, of the man that saved me, and I feel sorry for him, looking back on it now, I was a real bitch. But that's me, Leah Clearwater, the bitch of the entire pack.


	2. Stupid Cars and Stupid Boys

_**A.N. **__Hello again everyone! Sorry about the wait on this chapter, but as you'll see it's pretty long, so you got a lot to keep you busy! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy! Please review!_

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It all began when Seth first imprinted. She was a pretty girl, with a pretty face, but nothing really special, yet she was the world to Seth. She was now the center of his universe, there was no more time for me.

I was a twenty-four year old woman still living at home, still counting on her younger brother to take care of her. That was beyond despicable.

My solution? I would go to Port Angeles and try to start a life. I know Jake would be pissed at me, but I would be back, I couldn't stay away from the place forever after all. It was my home, I'd miss it eventually, but I needed to get away from it for a while, away from all the painful memories, give myself some time to heal. If anyone could understand that feeling, it was Jacob. He had been the one to run away from his family and friends after Bella broke his heart after all, he was familiar with the hurt and the unstoppable desire to get away.

So, I got into my car and drove over to his place. It wasn't very far, only a mile or two, maybe even less. I was familiar with Jake's house. We had been hanging out a lot recently, despite his obsession with his part vampire imprint, Renesmee Cullen. The time he didn't spend with her was spent with me, which I appreciated, it made feel a little better about everything, but I needed to leave, that would be the only way for me to be cured for good, I could feel it.

As soon as I pulled up, Jacob walked out of the house, obviously expecting me, I did come over almost every day after all.

"Hey, Leah!" He called happily as I cut the engine and stepped out of my junky car. He had been the one to fix it on countless occasions, it had a habit of stalling at the worst times.

"Hey, Jake," I greeted, walking up to him.

"What's up?" He asked, noticing the look on my face. It must have been anxious.

"Well, there was something I needed to ask you," I told him, waiting to see if he was in the mood for discussions.

"Shoot," he said, obviously curious as he leaned against one of the porch posts.

"Um, well, I know this is sudden and everything, but, I need to do this, so please think this through, ok? Um, I uh, I wanted to leave for a while, you know, get away from everything, take a bit of time off, to you know, relax."

"Is this because of Seth imprinting?" He asked.

"Partly," I murmured, he waited for me to continue. "Jake, you know a lot of shit has happened to me, I just… I can't stand it here, it's like I'm being suffocated. Everywhere I go there's something that depresses me. I-I don't want to live like that," I confessed, feeling like an idiot. I _was_ Leah Clearwater after all. Confessing was _not_ something I was so willing to do.

"Alright, I don't mind, just don't be gone too long, I think I'll get sick of hanging out with little kids for a really lengthy period," Jacob shrugged, straightening up.

"What? Really? I can go?" I asked, amazed. This had been a thousand times easier than I thought it would be. I never thought he would give in so soon.

"Ya, of course. What? Did you expect me to say no? I'm not that heartless Leah," Jake responded, sounding a little stung.

"No, I-I know you're not, thank you, Jacob," I said, just able to resist the impulse to hug him. I don't think hugging your Alpha was a very good thing to do.

"No problem. Just one thing, keep in touch, ok? I want to make sure my Beta isn't in any trouble," he said with a grin.

"Ya, like I'd be in any trouble," I rolled my eyes, he laughed.

"You could, but you better call me, or I won't let you go," he warned.

"I know, I know," I said, waving my hand at him.

"So… when are you going?" He asked.

"Well, I was thinking tomorrow. Sitting around in this dump isn't doing me any good," I shrugged, he nodded.

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, Leah," he said with one of those radiant smiles of his.

"Trust me, so do I," I said, sounding a little unsure. He just laughed, and we continued with our original itinerary.

* * *

Of course, the difficult part was telling my mother, but she seemed pleased that I was going to go out on my own, said it would be good for me. Maybe she meant that it was good that her fully grown daughter was finally moving out of the house, I don't know, but I didn't really care. When I told my brother, he also agreed, but made it quite clear that if I needed anything to call straight away, I promised him I would.

So, the next day I packed all the things I thought I would need, clothes, toiletries, cash, some food, you know, the essentials. I didn't exactly know where I was going, nor did I really care. All I wanted to do was get out of this place, be free, away from all the pain that lay heavily in my heart.

Soon, I was driving. On the road to Port Angeles. I was thinking then that maybe I'd go farther, like Seattle, ya, that was an idea, I'd go to Seattle instead, I mean, its not like I really had to be anywhere.

I ended up driving for most of the day, stopping only to use the restroom, I had enough food to last me the day. Later in the evening it began to rain. Damn, I hated rain. I mean, I lived in the rainiest place on earth, you think I'd be used to it by now, right? Wrong. On occasion it was nice, but really, who liked to be soaking all the time? I sure didn't.

Then, it happened.

So, I was almost to Seattle, right? I was getting all excited and planning on what hotel I should stay in, when my car just suddenly stopped, like in the middle of this long deserted road. I was so pissed off! The only person I knew who could fix my car, was Jacob, and of course, he wasn't here! I should probably know how to fix it by now from watching him so much, but cars were definitely not my forte. As long as it could drive and I didn't have to do anything to it, I was good. Yet, of course, right when I was almost to my destination, but still too far away to get help anytime soon, my car had to breakdown, perfect. Just my luck.

I sat there, staring at the steering wheel, hoping my angry gaze would scare it into working again. Sadly, I learned real quick that inanimate objects don't give a shit if you're angry or not.

That's when I heard a small tapping on my window. I slowly lifted my head from the wheel and nearly jumped through the roof when I saw a man standing outside.

He gestured to me to open the window, but I shook my head. I mean, he could be some weirdo or something! He gave me a smirk, and made the gesture again. Fine, whatever, he can go ahead and kill me, not like anyone would miss me anyways, so I rolled down the window.

"I couldn't help but noticing that you seem to be stranded," he said. No shit Sherlock!

"Ya, so?" I asked, my bitchiness showing, he just smiled.

"I thought you might need some help," he told me, innocently enough, but I wasn't going to fall for his charade. "If you pop the hood, I can take a look," he continued. I shrugged, doing as I was told. I mean, he can't make it much wore, can he?

Once the hood was up he walked around to the front and leaned over it. I couldn't help but look him over.

He was tall, probably taller than me, which was abnormal for anyone other than the pack. I stood at an incredible height of 5'7", something most males I saw would kill to have. He had blond messy hair that reached to about his earlobes with very pale skin.

"Try revving the engine!" I heard him say over the pounding rain, ripping me from my inspection.

I did as I was told, and amazingly, it worked. Wow, now I kinda felt bad for being a bitch to him, but only a little bit, Leah Clearwater rarely felt bad.

After he had closed the hood he came back around to the window and leaned on the door, his face almost inside of my car.

"Well, it should work good now," he smiled.

"Ya, thanks," I said, unsure what else to say to someone I didn't know.

"Where are you going anyways?" He asked suddenly. I gave him a dark look.

"Why would I tell you that?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, I was just curious."

"I'm going to Seattle," I caved, unsure why I did. This guy was weird.

"Really? I live in Seattle, do you?" He asked.

"No."

"Visiting someone?"

"No."

"Then why are you going to Seattle so late at night?" He wondered, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I don't know, I just wanted to get out of the house, so, I came here," I shrugged.

"Do you know where you're staying?" He asked.

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'P.'

"Well, how bout you come stay the night at my place, I mean, most of the hotels are full," he suggested.

"I don't think that's really a good idea," I told him, preparing to leave.

"Aw, come one. I'm not gonna do anything to you, promise!" He said, a bright smile on his face. I think his smile rivaled even Jacob's. I deliberated. I mean, I didn't have any place to stay, and sleeping in my car didn't sound very appealing. If he tried anything I'm sure I could handle it. So what was so bad about it?

I sighed "Alright, I'll take you up on your offer, but only for tonight," I warned. His answering smile was radiant.

"Sweet! Just follow me, ok?" He said, I nodded. He then hurried away from the window and back to his car that was parked behind mine. I rolled up my window and waited for him to get in front of me so I could follow him to his place.

I must admit, I was pretty nervous about this, but what else was I supposed to do? He had said all the hotels were full after all.

Thankfully, for the short drive into Seattle, my car drove perfectly, maybe even better than it had before.

As I followed my unknown savior through the winding streets, I couldn't help but dwell on this weird feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach. Was it nerves? I couldn't really tell, but I couldn't get rid of it, this strange feeling, no matter how hard I tried.

After about another fifteen minutes, we pulled into the back parking lot of a decent looking apartment building. It wasn't a high end place, but it definitely wasn't dumpy either. It made me kind of like it.

Before I even got out of the car, he was standing there waiting for me.

"Do you need help with you bags?" He asked as I pulled my duffel out from the back seat.

"No, I got it," I said huffily, but he just laughed and grabbed it from me. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Whatever, now I didn't have to carry it, it was his loss, not mine.

So I followed him and my bag into the building, and up four flights of stairs to room 401.

"Well, here we are," he said, letting me go inside before him.

It was a nice place, spacious, with a small kitchen to the far left, a dining area in front of that, and a tricked out living room to the right. It was obvious, when entering this house, what he did. Drawings, easels, pads of paper, pencils, erasers, and a large variety of other art supplies littered the expanse of the house. It was still strangely clean for a man's house. Everything seemed to be in a specific place, nothing was out of order, except for the half finished drawing that sat on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

"It's not much, but it's home," he sighed, closing the door and moving freely into the house. I however was still rooted on the threshold, staring at the magnificent pieces of art that were presented before my eyes.

I watched a bird fly across a page, saw a flower slowly loosing it's petals, looked into the eyes of an old man that I could have sworn were looking right back at me with a look of curiosity.

"D-did you make all of these?" I asked, approaching the picture of the old man. I couldn't help but reach out and touch it, just to make sure it really was just a drawing.

"Naw, you kiddin'? My roommate did," he said.

"These are amazing," I responded, awed.

"Ya, they are, you can tell him that when he get's here, but in the mean time, are you hungry?" He asked, moving into the kitchen.

"Um, I'm fine, really, I brought food with me," I said hurriedly. I may be stubborn, but I didn't want to go eating all of his food. Even a female werewolf ate more than a usual woman would.

"Just answer the question," he sighed, giving me a stern look. I looked at him for a minute.

"Yes, I'm hungry," I said finally, he nodded, then proceeded to pull out ingredients.

"I hope you like chicken alfredo," he continued.

"Ya, I love it," I confessed, finding it weird that he was making my favorite.

"Good, so do I!" He smiled. "You know, you don't have to stand there, make yourself comfortable."

"Ok," I said awkwardly, moving over to couch and perching myself on the edge of it. "You know, you never told me your name."

"Oh, ya, I'm Michael Burks, you can call me Mike for short," he said cheerily from the kitchen.

"I'm Leah, Leah Clearwater," I told him.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Leah," I heard him say.

Our conversation soon died out and I was left to admire his roommates drawings and listen to him prepare our dinner. I couldn't believe that someone could do things like this. The way the pictures were drawn, it was as though you were looking at the real thing, it was breathtaking! I'd never been much of an art person, but seeing these, there was no way I couldn't say I at least admired the person who had the ability to draw these.

Just then, the door to the apartment opened, and as soon as I saw the man that entered, my heart stopped.

For once in my life, I didn't care about my sadness, I didn't care how pitiful I was, didn't care that I was useless. All I cared about was the beautiful man that had just walked through that door.

That little fantasy ended quickly however. I hurriedly shook my head and tried to act natural, while my mind was reeling madly.

Did I just imprint!? Holy shit! No! I can't have! This is insane! No! I can't imprint! I mean, it's me, Leah Clearwater! The bitch cursed with a horrible life for eternity! How can this even be happening?

All of these things happened in less than a minute, and I was left breathless as his soft hazel eyes turned to look at me.

"Oh, hello, are you one of Mike's friends?" He asked kindly, a strand of his lustrous brown hair falling into his face, he quickly pushed it back into place.

"Well, I guess so, but, I found her stranded near the Fed. She said she was getting away from home, but didn't really make plans to stay anywhere, and you know how hard it is to find someplace last minute. So, I invited her over!" Mike finished.

The other guy was silent, looking at me with a curious expression on his face. Had he felt that strange shock too?

"Oh, um, well, I'm Damon, it's um, nice to meet you," he said nervously, waving at me from where he stood.

"I'm, Leah," I answered, relieved that my voice was at least steady, but Damon seemed nervous.

"Aw, don't get all shy again, Damon!" Mike complained from the kitchen, Damon blushed slightly, glaring over towards the kitchen.

"Ya, well, it's your fault for bringing strange people in all the time," he scoffed, slipping off his shoes.

"I-I um, I'm just staying here for the night, I don't plan on staying long-term or anything," I assured him. It sounded like he didn't like me being here.

"Oh, uh, don't take it the wrong way. I don't mind that you're here," Damon corrected, looking nervous again. "You don't seem as crazy as half the other's Mike has helped off the streets," he said with a shiver. I suddenly felt kind of sorry for him. It sounded like Mike did this a lot.

"Well, thanks," I said, then noticed the picture of the bird behind him, and made the connection. "Um, are you the one who drew all of these pictures?" I asked.

"Oh, ya, you like them?" He asked with a smile, dropping into a big comfortable armchair.

"Ya, they're really amazing!" I complimented, he blushed, but continued to smile.

"Ya, she thought I made 'em!" Mike laughed from the kitchen.

"You can't even draw a stick person," Damon joked, an adorable smile on his face, my heart throbbed painfully. I deserved this pain. I deserved seeing my imprint but not being able to have him. I deserved it. I was hopeless.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked suddenly, I looked up at him, looking into his flawless face. This beautiful creature was definitely too good for me.

"Ya, I'm fine," I shrugged.

"You sure? You looked a little sad there for a minute," he said, looking genuinely worried, my heart throbbed again.

"No, I'm alright, really," I told him. He nodded, but continued to look at me as he picked up the half finished drawing that was lying on the table.

"Ok, soups on, guys!" Mike hollered from the kitchen, Damon and I jumped. I slowly got up and headed to the kitchen, Damon following me. I helped myself to a plate of the steaming noodles and settled myself back on the couch. Mike was already sitting in the armchair, slurping up a large quantity of noodles.

I cautiously picked up my fork and stabbed a small piece of noodle, carefully placing it into my mouth. Amazingly, it was actually really good, that's when Damon entered the room and sat on the opposite side of the couch. Even that proximity to him was making my senses go mad. His mere presence was driving me insane!

To disguise this abnormality, I ate my food silently, complimenting how good it was, mike beamed.

"I'm glad you like it! See, if Damon tried to cook, he'd burn the whole complex down!" He laughed, I couldn't help but laugh a little too, Damon blushed and glared at mike, he just smiled.

The evening continued in silence as we ate and watched hockey, one thing that I could really get into. By the end of the game we were all at the edges of our seats screaming at the screen.

"Come on you pussy's! Get the goal!" Mike yelled.

"Aw, why did you do that? That was so stupid!" Damon groaned.

"Go! Go! Get the goal! Yes!" I cried, slamming my fist triumphantly into the arm of the couch.

I was actually have an unexpectedly good time. It was just like being home with the pack.

"Wow, that was one hell of a game!" Mike praised, standing up and stretching. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. I have to wake up at five tomorrow," he groaned.

"Why do you have to get up so early?" I asked.

"I need to make up some classes I missed. It's not really a big deal," he shrugged.

"You know, you wouldn't have to make them up if you just went to them in the first place," Damon pointed out.

"But that's no fun!" Mike cried, a huge smile on his face. "Anyway, are you ok with sleeping on the couch, Leah?" He asked.

"Oh, ya, that's fine," I said quickly, my attention thankfully drawn away from Damon and onto Mike instead.

"Ok, I'll grab you a couple blankets and a pillow," he said, heading down the hall.

"Leah, you know you can sleep in my room if you want. I'll take the couch," Damon suggested, I blushed.

"I'm ok with the couch, really. I don't want to be any trouble," I said.

"It's no trouble," he smiled.

"I-It's ok, I'll be ok on the couch." He just shrugged, picking up the remote and flipping through channels, trying to find something else to watch now that the game was over.

Mike came back then and handed me a thick comfiture and a fluffy down pillow.

"Here you go, hope you'll be warm enough," he said.

"Oh, I'll be fine, don't worry," I smiled, internally laughing at his worry. Me? Cold? Ha! That was laughable!

"Ok, well, I probably won't see you till like noon, so, hope you sleep well, and you can't leave without saying goodbye to me, you hear? So when I get home tomorrow you better be here," he warned. I sighed, he was kind of annoying, but he did let me stay here, I couldn't be a bitch to him.

"Ya, ya, I'll be here," I said, waving him to bed with my hand.

"Good," he smiled. "Well, goodnight," he waved to both of us before heading down the hallway and closing his door.

Once Mike was gone the silence became absolute except for the T.V that was still being flipped from channel to channel. He finally settled on a pretty promising looking comedian.

"You know that awkward feeling you get when you're all alone with strange people? I kind of think it's funny, cuz then why are you with 'em anyway, huh?" The comedian asked to a fit of laughter from the audience.

Damn, that was definitely Deja Vu! Why did things always have to end up so weird like that?

We continued watching this mildly funny guy, yet when I glanced over to Damon, I saw him drawing and not even paying attention to what was on T.V.

"Um, are you even watching this?" I asked him.

"Not really, do you want to watch something else?"

"Kind of," I admitted. He smiled and tossed me the remote. I caught it and changed the channel, I knew there was a marathon of House on and I really didn't want to miss it.

"You actually like stuff like this?" Damon asked suddenly as House stuck some lethal looking instrument up some kids nose to pull a series of toys out.

"Ya, I think it's pretty funny, actually!" I said, laughing as they explained why there were so many toys up the kids nose.

"Ya, I guess you're right, it is kind of funny," he chuckled, turning back to his drawing. I couldn't help but watch him for a minute as he began to make the little intricate feathers of the peacock he was drawing. It was magnificent! Even without color! You could practically see the kaleidoscope of colors in the feathers just with the grayscale he used, it was breathtaking. I hadn't even noticed he was watching me until I realized he wasn't drawing anymore, I flushed.

"Oh, sorry! It probably bother's you when people watch," I said, quickly turning away.

"Not really," he shrugged.

"It's just fascinating how you can do that," I told him, amazed, he chuckled.

"I don't know, it's like second nature to me now."

"Ya, it probably would be if you did for a while. I can't draw at all, well, except stick people. I can draw some pretty awesome looking stick people, little mittens and all!" I joked, he laughed at that, I smiled.

"Very creative. I'm sure the mittens add a nice touch."

"They do. Really bring out the picture, you know?" We both laughed at that.

"You know, you're pretty funny," he said, I flushed.

"No I'm not, I'm just good at making wise cracks," I said.

"Funny wise cracks, then," he corrected, I shrugged, accepting the compliment. "Well, I'm gonna turn in. You don't mind do you?" He asked.

"Um, no, this is your house after all," I reminded him, he chuckled.

"Ya, but I feel kind of bad leaving you out here by yourself," he said, looking up at me through his hair.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, I'm tough," I said, flexing my arm, he chuckled again.

"Alright, well, I'll see you in the morning, Leah," he smiled, I smiled back.

"Yup, I'll be here," I promised.

"Good," he said, then put his drawing on the table and went down the hallway, closing his bedroom door behind him.


	3. Sheila

**A.N.**_ Hey, sorry this took so long guys, but it took me a bit to figure out how I wanted this chapter to play out, but hopefully you'll like how I finally decided to write it. Please tell me what you think!_

* * *

I can't believe I met my imprint. Of course I can't have him either, it's just another one of those bad things that happen to me. You might ask me, why it is that I can't be with him. Well, for starters, Leah Clearwater is a bitch. I don't even think there is any softness left in my being, and the only love I possessed was for my brother and mother. So how can I get close to someone who is so shy if I'm always so harsh? Seems difficult to me.

Another reason, is the fact that my life just sucks like that. It's just how things happen. When I don't plan on staying in one place, that just so happens to be where my imprint is. Figures, right?

Lastly, he's way to good for me. He's way too good for a broken, bitter girl like me. Yes, I've only just met him, but his shyness, and kindness, are things that I don't deserve. I'm not worthy of those nice things. Someone else should have them. Someone, that is not me.

The next morning I was awoken abruptly by a loud crash. I jolted awake and tumbled to floor in a cocoon of sheets, pillows, and body parts, all flinging whichever way.

"Owww…" I groaned, trying to untangle myself from the mass, it was very difficult. I wouldn't have managed it if Damon's soft warm hands hadn't pulled away the sheet and heaved me out of the mess and back onto the couch.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up! I swear! It was an accident! I am so sorry!" He repeated, confusing me even more. I just stared blearily at his irresistible face, contorted in misery.

"Huh? Wuz goin' on?" I asked, still no coherent as I collapsed sideways onto the couch, still unbearably sleepy.

"Oh, well, I uh, dropped a pan and woke you up. I'm really sorry," he said again, I just waved it away.

"S'okay," I muttered, closing my eyes and pressing my face into the pillow.

"Are you ok? You fell pretty hard there. You didn't hit your head, did you?" He asked, concern coloring his voice, my heart throbbed.

"Naw, the blankets cushioned the fall," I grumbled, trying to reach for them. Damon helped by picking them up and laying them over me again.

"That's good. I'm really sorry for waking you up."

"Ah, shut up, not like you did it on purpose or something."

"Um, ok, well-uh, I'll just let you sleep then," he mumbled. I could hear him stand up and begin walking away. I felt kind of bad for scaring him like that, but I was a bitch when I had to run on a minimum amount of sleep. I couldn't help it.

So, I curled back up on the couch and went to sleep until I woke up on my own at about eleven thirty.

Once awake and feeling shitty for the way I acted, I got up and went to search for Damon.

I found him in the far room, sitting in front of a laptop and typing furiously. I cleared my throat to get his attention, he immediately turned.

"Oh, hi, did you… um, sleep well?" He asked, sounding guilty again.

"Ya, fine. Sorry about how I acted this morning," I apologized.

"Oh, it's not your fault, I was the one who woke you up," he laughed, I just shrugged.

"I'm still sorry," I said.

"Apology accepted," he told me.

"What are you working on?" I asked, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"Oh, just a paper for my English class," he shrugged.

"Sounds fun," I said sarcastically, he laughed.

"Oh, ya, it's a real thrill," he joked.

"Hey, what were you doing in the kitchen this morning anyways?" I asked suddenly. "Didn't Mike say you were banned from it?"

"Well, funny you should ask," he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Mmhm…" I urged.

"Um, well, I was-um, trying to make you breakfast, but it kind of well, didn't work so well," he murmured. I felt my face warm, thank the lord for my dark skin!

"Oh, that's very nice of you, but, I can make it if you'd like. Since you said it didn't work so well," I offered.

"Sure, if you want to. The kitchen's all yours!" He said, a little too heartily.

"Um, ok…. What do you want to eat then?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, I don't really care. Whatever you want to make is fine," he smiled, typing a few more words for his paper, but after glancing at them I knew it was out of nerves. 'Elephant's idiotic baboon,' didn't really sound like something that would fit well in an English paper on the poem _The Raven_.

"Ok, I'll call you when it's done," I told him, moving towards the door.

"Ok, thanks," he said, not looking at me. I sighed, then slowly backed out of the room and went to the kitchen.

As I entered the kitchen I looked warily around, wondering what in gods name I was supposed to make. So first, I checked the fridge, and amazingly, there was a lot more food than I would have expected there to be. So I dug around for a while, and ended up pulling out a carton of eggs, and a package of bacon. Ya, it was simple, but that's ok, Damon didn't really seem like he's mind, as long as he could eat. That thought made me chuckle to myself. He was just the guy I needed. Where I could cook whatever the hell I wanted to and he'd eat it with a smile anyways. But I knew I couldn't have him.

I pushed that though quickly out of my mind and focused on preparing breakfast.

Finding all the pans and utensils was also easier than expected. Mike must really like to keep his kitchen clean, that was admirable. So I fixed breakfast with ease, calling Damon out just as I set his plate on the table.

"Wow, bacon, eggs, toast, the works," he said, looking at his plate. I could almost see the drool forming at the corners of his mouth!

"Yup, nothing special, but it's food," I shrugged, sitting down with my own plate.

"I think it's great!" He mumbled through a mouthful of egg, I laughed.

"Well, glad you think so," I smiled. We then proceeded to eat in silence. It wasn't awkward, just silent because we were stuffing our faces. I took this time to get a good look at him. Ever since I came here I had been too focused on the fact that he was my imprint and that I couldn't have possibly imprinted to really take in his physique.

I carefully raised my eyes just enough so I could see through my eyelashes.

Damon was definitely what I could describe as tall dark and handsome. Even sitting down I could tell that he was at least a good few inches taller than I was, with a decently muscled body, but it was nothing in comparison to Jake and the others. His hair was a deep auburn with soft golden highlights flecked throughout, making it glimmer in the afternoon light. Long feathery eyelashes covered a pair of gentle hazel eyes that I just noticed were analyzing me as well. When out eyes locked, we both looked away, embarrassment written on our features.

"Um, sorry, I-uh, didn't really get a good look at you yesterday, and um…" he began, trying to cover up his mistake, I blushed even harder.

"It's ok, really," I assured him, shrugging it off.

The silence that fell now however, unlike the previous, was charged with nervousness and uncertainty.

Needless to say, we ate the rest of our breakfast in silence.

As I took the last bite of my food, my plate was taken from me, and I looked up in shock to see Damon walking to the kitchen.

"Oh, I can do those," I said.

"You made it, I get to clean up the mess. It's a basic rule in this house," he said with a soft smile. I just nodded and let him continue. With a lack of anything else to do, I grabbed a change of clothes.

"Um, could I use your shower?" I asked awkwardly.

"Ya, go right ahead. The towels are in the closet behind the door," he said over his shoulder as he washed the dishes.

"Ok, thank you." I thing hurried down the hall to the bathroom, closing the door securely behind me.

God damn it! This was driving me nuts! This so wasn't me! Where was the cynical, sarcastic, evil-hearted Leah that I was? I just couldn't make myself be her around him. I… I _wanted_ to be nice. To be kind, and gentle. Things that I thought I would never be again after all the shit I've been through. But around him, I couldn't help myself, I couldn't even force myself to be a bitch! Except this morning, but that was subconsciously, and I felt like shit about it later anyways. This was ridiculous!

I sighed, turning on the shower and stepping under the soothing stream of warm water, letting it cascade down my body.

My imprint… but I couldn't have him. That's what I had to keep telling myself. I couldn't have him, he deserved someone better than a heartless soul like me. So I resolved to leave as soon as Mike came home and I told him goodbye, since I did say I would. I just couldn't stay here, looking my beautiful soul mate in the face like this. It hurt worse than I would have ever expected.

During the rest of the day however, my resolve wavered. I was mostly watching Damon draw, and it was fascinating. I kept thinking how great it would be to sit here and watch him draw all day, or even better… what if he were to draw me? Ugh! No! I can't! He deserves better! I would yell back subconsciously, but that of course didn't stop me from watching his hand dart across the page, leaving smooth lines and curves in it's wake, making a piece of artwork that look just like, or even better sometimes, than the original thing. Today, I watched as he drew a young boy, fishing in a small pond, with flowers, and tree's, and birds, darting everywhere. It was so life like, and just like the picture of the old man, I asked if I could touch it, just to make sure it was in fact a picture, and not the real thing. He laughed at this, but let me, seeming extremely amused, yet satisfied at my awe. Then, at about four in the evening, the door was flung open and in traipsed Mike.

"Hey guys, oh, watching Damon draw? Ya, it's pretty ridiculous isn't it?" He smiled when he saw us both sitting on the couch.

"Ya, it's amazing," I said, still awed, until I remembered that I was planning on just saying goodbye and leaving, but I didn't know if I even wanted to anymore.

"Ya it is. So, you staying for dinner?" Mike asked.

"Um, well, I wasn't really planning on it," I confessed, both of the boys eyes turned to me with identical looks of shock.

"What? You're leaving? Already?" Damon asked, looking slightly let down, my heart throbbed. Damn thing!

"Well, yeah, I don't want to leech off of you guys forever," I shrugged.

"Who's leeching? It's nice to have an extra person in the house. Plus, I always make too much food anyways. Without you here we usually have leftovers for a week, and I hate leftovers," Mike cringed, I couldn't help but giggle.

"I'm sure you'll live," I said.

"Aw, come on, you haven't even found another place to stay yet. At least stick around until you know where you're going. We don't want you to end up sleeping in your car or something!"

"That wouldn't bother me that bad."

"Leah, please stay?" Damon piped in, his face sad. I was shocked into silence, my mind numb. He _wanted_ me to stay? My imprint? How can this be? Does he really care about me? Does he feel the connection?

"Well, I guess I could stay around for a little while longer, but only until I find a place to stay," I found myself blurting out, without even a conscious thought.

"Really? Great!" Mike exclaimed, excitement lighting up his already bright features, I couldn't help but laugh, the effect was quite comical.

"But at least give me something to do while I'm here, like a chore or something," I said, not wanting to be completely useless.

"Whatever, you can do whatever you want, we don't care," Mike shrugged, pulling off his jacket finally and hanging it up in the closet.

"Not at all," Damon agreed, relaxing and continuing with his drawing.

"Um, ok," I said awkwardly.

"Aw, don't be so nervous, all we're saying is if you want to do something, do it! It's not like we're gonna complain or anything. Just don't start going through our underwear drawers or something," Mike laughed, I blushed furiously, and Damon looked utterly repulsed and a little embarrassed.

"Don't be such a dick," Damon scolded him.

"What? I was just kidding!"

"Well, than don't joke about things like that. It's unnecessary."

"Ya, whatever," Mike said, waving his hand absently as he dropped into the armchair and turned on the T.V.

Then, there was a knock on the door, and we all looked at each other.

"Wonder who that is?" Mike said, standing up to get it. He looked through the peep hole, and what he saw made his eyes widen. "Shit! Sheila at twelve o'clock! What do I do?" He cried, turning around to look desperately at Damon.

"Um, tell her you're really busy… lot's of homework!" He said. Mike nodded, taking a deep breath and slowly opening the door to reveal a frizzy haired girl with glasses. She wasn't ugly, but she looked a little jumpy.

"Uh, hey, Sheila," Mike greeted awkwardly, the girl frowned.

"Michael Burks! You haven't called me in one whole week! What on earth have you been doing?!" She shrieked. How annoying.

"Well, about that, um, you see-" he began, but he stopped him with a cry.

"Who is _she_?" She cried, pointing to me with a look of horror.

"Oh, just a friend," mike said, dismissing the matter, "anyways, the reason I didn't call was-"

"_Her_?!" Sheila filled in. Now my face was horror stricken.

"No!" I cried. "It's nothing like that! In fact, I just met him like yesterday! My car broke down and he-"

"I don't want any excused from _you_," she said, disgusted, turning her nose up at me. Ok, that made me a little pissed. She then turned her withering gaze on poor Mike.

"I thought we had something, Mike!" She cried.

"Sheila, listen, you've got it all-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses Mike. You've just taken it a step too far!"

"Like that's anything new," Damon muttered under his breath, I chuckled. Obviously he didn't really like her either, but I could see why. She was probably way too loud for him.

"Sheila-" Mike began again.

"Don't _Sheila_ me! You know, I am done with this! It's over Michael! I just can't stand it anymore!" She gasped dramatically.

"Really?" Mike asked, stunned.

"Yes really! Goodbye, Michael! I never want to see you again!" And with that, she gave me one last cold look and swept down the stairs, stomping loudly on each step all the way.

"Um, Mike?" I asked, watching him stare numbly after her. In the beginning it didn't seem like he cared much about her, but the way he was staring after her, it could be different.

"Yes! She's gone!" He cried finally, slamming the door shut, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Um, that's a good thing?" I asked, confused.

"A good thing? Hell yes it is! That chicks been driving me nuts for weeks! Yes!" He said, then ran over to me, scooping me up into his arms and twirling me around. I gasped in surprise.

"Thank you, Leah!" He cried. "I really owe you one! Oh, I know, what's your favorite food? I'll make sure to make it for you this week!"

"Woah, hold on cowboy!" I said, unable to stop the smile on my face. He looked ridiculously happy for someone who just got dumped. "I don't think you really owe me anything."

"What are you talking about? Of course I do! You scared away the witch!"

"Trust me, Leah, you did us a favor," Damon said. "She has got to be the most obnoxious girl I have ever met. How did you even meet her anyways?" He asked Mike.

"Well, uh, that's kind of a funny story," Mike said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"What?" Damon urged.

"Um, well, so, I was kinda at this bar, and you know, I had a couple drinks, and I wasn't exactly sobre, so um, at the time, she looked pretty hot from a drunks eyes, so I kinda, you know…" he explained, trailing off.

"Banged her," I finished.

"Ya," Mike chuckled.

"Figures," I laughed.

"Ya, figures," Damon agreed, with a shake of his head. We then stared at each other for another minute before bursting out laughing like a bunch of idiots. Man, I think I can get used to this!


	4. Bowling

_So it was settled, I'd stay with them…. How the hell did that happen? I can't even remember now, a week later from the actual incident. I had been all set to leave, then for some reason the idiots swayed me to stay. To stay and stare at my bloody imprint every flippin' day. What a punishment, my life really sucked._

"_Hey, Leah!" I heard, and I shook my head, turning away from the T.V. to look at Mike._

"_Hey, what?" I asked, he grinned, holding up his keys._

"_Wanna go do something?" Hmm, that was tempting, I hadn't left this apartment in a week._

"_To hell I do!" I said, jumping up. "Let me just get cleaned up, I look like something the cat dragged in, if you had a cat of course."_

"_Not really, in fact, I think you look quite lovely," he grinned, I blushed._

"_Sure, whatever," I shrugged, he laughed, but let me pass him to get to the bathroom._

_Once I was finished with my shower I pulled on my skinny jeans and rocker tee, that I had taken out of my bag, and threw my hair up into a messy pony._

_As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom I nearly ran into Damon._

"_Oh, sorry," I apologized, both of us blushing like idiots._

"_Oh, uh, it's ok…. You going somewhere?" He asked, looking at my attire, he was used to seeing me in sweats._

"_Ya, Mike's offer. Don't know where though," I shrugged. "You coming too?" I asked hopefully._

"_I guess so, unless I am uninvited," he said hinting, looking over to Mike who stood at the end of the hall, a frown on his face._

"_Hell, I don't care," he shrugged, but looked kind of disgruntled, oh boy._

"_Alright, let me get dressed," Damon said, and that's when I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. Ok, I know I see guys without their shirts on all time, but this is a million times different._

_He wasn't extremely muscular like my brothers, but he was lean, and you could tell if he ran he would be lighting fast. He still had the definition of abs, and his arms were delectable. I had never found extreme muscle attractive, but Damon, was perfect._

_He eventually turned to go into his room, and I forced myself towards the living room to put on my shoes so I wouldn't have the urge to bang him right there. Damn this was hard._

_That's when I felt someone sit down next to me. It was Mike._

"_Hey," I said, turning back to my shoes._

"_Could I ask you something?" he asked._

"_Go for it," I shrugged, still focused on my shoes._

"_Would you go out with me?" My head snapped up and I looked at him in shock._

"_What?" I asked, my throat dry. I must have not heard him correctly._

"_Would you go out with me?" He repeated._

"_Um, Mike, I um…" I began, trailing off. What the hell was I supposed to say!_

_He then started laughing, I stared at him, extremely confused. "What's so funny?" I asked._

"_Your face!" He cried, gasping through his laughter. I was still confused, so waited for him to explain further. "Sorry bout that, I just had to try, you're real pretty," he said with a wink, I just rolled my eyes._

"_Like I haven't heard that one before." He laughed._

"_I knew you'd say no, because you have a thing for Damon, right?" He asked slyly. I looked at him, my eyes wide. How did he know? "Oh, come on, don't act so surprised. I see the way you two always blush when you're around each other. And you, it's like you're trying to hold yourself back from jumping him every time you see him. I may be unobservant most of the time, but Damon's my bro, I look out for him." Wait, hold up, bro?_

"_Bro?"_

"_Ya, Damon's my, somewhat, older brother. You didn't know that?" He asked, shocked. I shook my head. "Oh, well, we are. You really wouldn't guess by just looking at us, but whatever," Mike shrugged, putting his hands behind his head and leaning on the back of the couch. Then I remembered what we were talking about and I immediately flushed._

"_I-I do not like him," I objected. I was technically telling the truth since I definitely more than just liked him, after all._

"_Aw, stop lying, I'm not blind. Even so, if you don't like him, he sure likes you, that's a fact," he said, I turned to him in shock, my shoes abandoned._

"_How can you tell?" I asked curiously._

"_Cuz, he gets really quiet when he likes a girl, he's usually not this bad," Mike explained, my blush deepened. "So…" he began, turning to look at me. "Do you like him too?"_

_I bit my lip, unsure if I should tell him, but before I could even process, Damon walked into the room._

"_You ok, Leah?" He asked suddenly, worried. "You're all red. What did you do to her Mike?"_

"_Nuthin," Mike shrugged, standing up and stretching. "Maybe embarrassed her a bit," he grinned, throwing me a hinting look, I scowled._

"_Well leave her alone," Damon frowned, Mike shrugged, obviously satisfied with his probing. I was surely extremely obvious, and I was kicking myself for that. I was never obvious. I could always control my emotions, but Damon just messed that all up for me._

"_So, you gonna yell at me some more, or are we gonna get this show on the road?" Mike asked._

"_Fine, let's go," Damon said, I nodded and slowly got up, following them out the door. _

"_So, how does bowling sound?" Mike asked. Of course he would suggest that, I had a secret obsession with bowling, and I was pretty freaking good at it!_

"_I love bowling," I said._

"_Sure, bowling sounds fun," Damon shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, but you could tell he liked the idea._

"_Alright, bowling it is," he said, starting the car and rolling out of the parking lot. _

_The bowling alley didn't end up being very far from their apartment, so we were there in a decent amount of time._

_When we entered we paid the man at the door and went to go get some bowling balls. I of course could lift up even the heaviest ball, but I decided to use the medium, just so I didn't look creepy strong or anything. Maybe it would be good to let the guys show off their muscle a bit, dudes liked showing off their strength._

"_Alright guys, watch me kick your asses!" Mike challenged, I just rolled my eyes._

"_You better take that back, you've never seen me bowl," I warned._

"_I can beat you any day!" Mike said, I shrugged._

"_Alright, suit yourself," I smiled, "You can go first," I smirked._

"_Naw, didn't you know? It's always ladies first." I scoffed, but stepped up to our lane. I stood, cradling the ball up by my chest and aligned it with the center most pin, then let it fly, as expected, I got a strike._

"_That's just cuz it was the first shot of the day," Mike said, not at all thwarted, but he wouldn't be smiling for long._

_Sure enough, a few hours, and a decent amount of beers later I had won every single round._

"_Told ya I'd win," I grinned as Mike downed another beer and knocked the counter._

"_Ya, ya, you're still all talk," he said, Damon and I laughed._

"_He's the one that's all talk," Damon whispered, his breath ghosting my ear, I shivered._

"_Ya, but I guess that's just the way he is," I shrugged, Damon laughed._

"_Sure is, but you really showed him up," he complimented, I blushed a little, but took a good swig of my beer to make it look like it was simply the alcohol._

"_Ya, I did, but that was cuz he was so horrible. I haven't played you yet, maybe I'd lose," I hinted._

"_You sure as hell would! Damon's a beast when it comes to bowling!" Mike cheered, suddenly happy again._

"_I wouldn't say that," Damon said modestly, I rolled my eyes._

"_Come on, Damon, you're not scared to face a girl, are ya?" I challenged._

_He looked at me, a smirk forming on his face, "alright, you're on."_

"_Sweet! You've really screwed yourself over this time, Leah!" Mike cheered, practically leaping off his stool as we made our way back to our lane. I just rolled my eyes and picked up a bowling ball._

"_Your bowl first, Damon," I said. He nodded, grabbing a ball and heading to the mouth of the lane. He got into position and let it roll, it knocked down about half._

"_What the hell was that?!" Mike exclaimed._

"_Just what it looked like," Damon shrugged._

"_You're going easy on her! Don't do that! It's stupid!" Mike protested._

"_He's right, it is stupid. I may be female, but you don't have to let me win," I scowled._

"_You sure you want me to play for real?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow. Now that was hot!_

"_Course I do."_

"_Alright, suit yourself," he shrugged, waving me to take my turn. I did, and it was strike as usual._

_The next time he went up, he didn't miss one, same with the next time, and the next time, and the next time. Needless to say, despite my confidence… I lost._

"_Wow, how did you do that?" I asked, shocked as I sat down next to Damon. No one ever beat me at bowling, ever._

"_Simple, you just line the ball up with the very back pin, flick your wrist lightly, and it will knock down ever single pin, every time," he shrugged._

"_That's what you say __every time_, but it's easier said than done," Mike grumbled, obviously jealous of his brother's precision.

"Could you teach me?" I blurted, not really wanting to say that. "I mean, if you want to of course," I added.

"Sure, grab a ball," Damon smiled. I did, and approached a lane, waiting for him to go, but he didn't have a bowling ball. "Ok, get in position," he said, I did, slightly confused, that was until I felt his arms around me.

Well, they weren't exactly around me, but his hand was covering mine and he was way too close for comfort, and that made my heart spasm wildly in my chest. This was going to embarrass me, I just knew it. How could I focus when he was right there?

"Ok," he said, his voice next to my ear, I could even feel his breath, it was maddening. "Focus on the back middle pin," he instructed. Easier said than done, I was too focused on him than to even give the stupid pin a glance, but I forced myself to focus.

"Got it," I said at last.

"Now, when you let the ball go, don't give it so much momentum, just let it roll gently down the center strip. I took a deep breath and obeyed as he helped pull my arm back. "Relax your wrist," he said, I did. "Good, now let it go." I did, moving my arm back then swinging it gently forward. Surprisingly, it was a perfect strike. "Brilliant," he whispered, then moved away from me. Now that was depressing, I really wanted it to last longer.

"Ok, so how can she get it the first time you try to teach her, but I never can?" Mike grumbled as we exited the bowling alley.

"Because she is obviously more willing to learn than you are," Damon said simply. Mike huffed, climbing into the back seat instead of the driver's.

"You can drive, I don't want to," he said, closing the door. Damon laughed, rolling his eyes.

"He likes to pout," he said, grinning at me, I laughed, blushing slightly as I made to climb in next to Mike. "Why don't you sit up with me," Damon suggested. Ok, now I was blushing.

"Um, sure," I shrugged, trying to sound all cool and nonchalant. I don't think I quite pulled it off, because Mike was snickering in the backseat.

"Ok, where do you want to eat?" Damon asked once we were on the road.

"How bout that one Italian place over by the theater," Mike suggested, Damon blushed slightly, but shrugged. "Plus, I'm meeting someone there anyways," Mike added, now Damon rolled his eyes, I joined in.

"So that's why you want to go there," Damon murmured, shaking his head.

"Yup," Mike replied, popping the 'p'. Well, so it was just Damon and I huh? This was going to be one hell of a dinner. My stomach was already twisting nervously… oh shit.

* * *

**A.N. **_Hey, I'm really sorry this took so long to update! I feel really bad! Hope you can forgive me, this week has been insanely busy. I'll try my hardest to get another chapter up sooner this next time around. So I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope you still liked it!_


	5. Do you Believe in Soul Mates?

**A.N. **_Yay! An update at last, I apologize profusely for making everyone wait so long for this chapter. I had the biggest writers block of my life, but thankfully with a few unexpected reviews and alerts I made myself sit down and think of something. So hopefully now the updates won't take as long as this, but I can't promise they'll be very regular, but I will try my hardest! So I hope you enjoy it, and leave me a review letting me know what you think! Thank you! _

* * *

"So uh, you're from LaPush, right?" Damon asked nervously as we sat across from each other at a two person table. Mike had, as expected, went off with a pretty blond, saying alone time would be good for us. So here we were, trying to make small talk and avoid each others eyes, it was a hell of a lot harder than I had expected.

"Ya, I am," I nodded.

"That's an Indian reservation, isn't it?" He tried again.

"Mmhm, I'm Quileute," I said, finally looking up at him. He blushed, he had definitely been staring at me.

"I-um, sorry, you're just…" he began, but stopped short, chewing nervously on his lip.

"Just…?" I questioned, wanting to know what he was going to say.

"Um, just-uh, you're, well, I think you're um, really… beautiful," he said, hardly even whispering the last word, but with my wolf hearing I could hear it loud and clear. I blushed a cherry red.

"Oh, um, thank you… you're not so bad yourself," I complimented, running my finger over the edge of my glass, Damon was doing a similar action across the table, but with his empty plate.

"I'd like to draw you some time," he said softly.

"_Draw? Me?_" I asked, shocked, he reddened even worse, nodding his head almost shamefully.

"Wow, um, I-I'd be, um, sure," I stuttered, completely caught off guard. Could he actually like me? Could he be telling me he liked me in some artist talk? I had absolutely no idea!

"Uh, s-sorry about that. I didn't mean to, um…" he blushed. I felt sorry for the poor guy, so I reached across the table, touching his hand lightly. He immediately looked up at me, shocked.

"It's ok. I'm just glad you were honest," I smiled. He stared for another moment, then returned it, gripping my hand in his, I blushed.

"Thanks."

"N-no problem."

An awkward silence fell between us as we both stared at our linked hands, not daring to move, or breathe for that matter. Thank god the waiter came just then, or I would have honestly died of embarrassment.

"Spaghetti?" She asked kindly, holding up my plate.

"Um, that was me," I said, releasing Damon's hand to take my food. I hated saying that I was relieved, but that was definitely one of the most awkward moments I have ever been in, and I thought being naked around the guys was bad, that was nothing compared to this!

"You had the rottini, then?" She said, setting the said plate in from of Damon as he gave a small nod. "Alright, enjoy your food," she smiled, leaving the awkward bubble that surrounded us. She looked relieved to be rid of us. I kind of wished I could follow her. I could barely breathe here!

"So, um, do you like living in LaPush?" He asked, trying to start up the conversation again. It worked, lightening the mood considerably as I couldn't help but laugh at this question.

I guess I liked LaPush, but it was in an unordinary sort of way. Like the fact that my friends and I were a pack of werewolves!

"Ya, it's cool 'cept it gets kind of annoying when everyone knows who you are. So if you screw up the whole town knows, that sort of blows," I shrugged, stabbing a meatball and popping it into my mouth.

Damon chuckled softly, obviously relieved as well that the awkward silence was simply a painful memory.

"Ya, that would be a bit annoying," he agreed, a smile on his face.

"Enough about me, where do you live… well, come from, you know?"

He laughed, "ya, I get it. Well, my parents actually live only a little ways out of Seattle, in the suburbs. Mike and I just didn't want to stay at home, so we got jobs part time so we could pay the rent and moved out. We're both going to school at the University of Seattle. I'm majoring in art, Mike is doing mechanics."

"Ya, I guess that's kind of what I'm trying to do, moving out, but look where that got me. Now I'm just mooching off you and Mike. I really need to get a job!" I laughed, not really wanting to leave at all. I'd make sure to take a while finding that job.

"It really isn't a problem, we like having you around. It's nice to have a girl in the house," he said, I shot him a glare, he blanched. "Uh, I didn't mean it like that, I swear! It's just um, I-uh-"

I laughed, "it's ok, I get it, I was only messing with you."

"Oh… ok, well uh, I really didn't mean it offensively. It's just nice having you around, you know," he muttered, his cheeks red.

"Ya, I get it," I smiled, elated by this new revelation.

"So, what do you do? I mean, have you went to college or anything?" He asked, changing the subject again.

"I went for a few years. I wanted to be a nurse," I told him.

"What stopped you?"

I was silent, I couldn't really tell him about my, "little furry problem."

"Family stuff came up and it just didn't work out very well anymore," I answered finally, praying to god he wouldn't ask for more details.

"Oh, that's sad." I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding. "Maybe you could go back now, start it up again."

"Um, I don't think so, cuz really, I have to go back home eventually. It's just… hard, to be away from the tribe. It's kind of complicated. I can't explain it properly," I said carefully, being truthful in some respects.

"Ya, I get it… sort of," he smiled, trying to sort it out. I just laughed at him, he'd never come up with the right answer, even if he sat there for days.

"Alright, my turn," I announced, deciding that we were now officially playing twenty questions. "What got you into art and why do you like it so much?"

Damon laughed, amused. "Everyone asks that question. Can't you come up with something more original?"

I scowled at him, "no I can't, so answer the question!"

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender, I nodded for him to continue. "I guess it started when I was younger, when my grandpa gave me his old drawing stuff. I didn't really use it at first. I tried drawing occasionally, but it didn't turn out really well. Then my grandpa died and I was drawing all the time. It was like a switch just went off or something. It was really strange, maybe it was the shock, I'm not really sure, but I've been drawing ever since."

"Wow, that is weird," I mused, trying to mull it over.

"Ya, and as for why I like it, it helps me relax, and just get my emotions out, be calm," he shrugged as though it wasn't a big deal.

"You know, for just happening across it you're really good," I said, remembering the picture of the old man.

"Thanks, that's what everyone says," he grinned.

"Sooo, getting to know each other now?" Came a voice. We both looked up to see Mike and the blond walking towards us.

"Ya, until you had to come and ruin it," Damon scowled. It seemed that he had been enjoying our conversation. To be honest, I was too.

"Oh, well, sorry about that, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going over to Veronica's place tonight, so you guys will take the car," he said.

"Ok, have fun," Damon said nonchalantly, eating some more of his food.

"I bet I will," Mike said, winking at Veronica, who giggled. "I hope you two will as well, Damon hasn't gotten laid in a while."

"I thought you were going," Damon scowled.

"Alright, I'm outta here, see you two tomorrow, have fun, Leah," Mike winked. I glared at him, he just laughed, and with that him and Veronica left the restaurant.

"Sorry about him," Damon sighed. "He likes to do this often." He didn't look very pleased with his brother.

"Ya, I got that," I told him, pointing a disgusted look in the direction in which Mike and his "good time," left.

"Well, you about ready to go? I wanted to take you somewhere before we headed home, now that I have free reign of the car," he said, laying down his fork.

"Yup," I responded, popping the last meatball into my mouth as he called for the check.

We argued for a few minutes about who would pay. He won, of course. Probably the only man who could, or more so I would let, win against me. He should feel lucky.

Once the bill had been taken care of we headed out to the car.

"So Mike's a player, huh?" I questioned, rhetorically.

"Yup, and that's gonna come back and bit him in the ass, in the form of a kid," Damon said disapprovingly.

"Probably, but you never know," I shrugged, Damon just nodded, obviously not really into talking about his brother and his sex life. I could definitely understand that one, especially with Seth and his imprint, but at least it was the same girl every time, not a different one.

"Do you have any siblings?" Damon asked then, how ironic, did he have ESP?

"Ya, my brother, Seth."

"Younger or older?"

"Younger."

"Well, then you can probably relate."

"Not really, Seth's a good kid, plus, he's with this girl that is pretty much 'the one.'"

"Oh, so I guess you can't then," Damon chuckled darkly.

"I can still imagine. I'd probably rip Seth's throat out!"

"Ya, I kind of feel like doing that sometimes," he sighed, turning a corner a little too sharply.

"Um, I know this is an awkward question, and you don't have to answer it if you don't want to, but, Mike said you haven't gotten laid in a while, you must have done something too then," I said cautiously.

Damon's face darkened as he concentrated hard on the road. "I did, once."

I waited for him to continue.

"Mike and I went out partying one night when we first got our apartment, and I'd been having a pretty shitty week, and I got a little too drunk. So when this girl came on to me, I didn't put up much of a fight, and I guess you know what happened from there," he trailed off.

"Ya, it happens," I said, remembering the not so few times I'd done something similar, but unlike him, I was looking for a good lay.

"I'm guessing you're not a stranger to it either, huh?" He questioned, picking up on my hinting.

"Ya, but I'm sad to say it was more times than one though, and it wasn't so innocent a situation as yours," I admitted.

"Oh," he responded. I couldn't tell if that was a bad thing or not.

"Yeah."

We were silent after that as we drove along the busy streets. I opted to stare out my window instead of looking at him like I normally would have. I felt ashamed for admitting my past mistakes with men, but it felt right to tell him about it, so he knew that I wasn't as great as he thought I was before we took anything further. It was all for the best.

"We're here," he said as he pulled into a parking spot by the river. There was a small park beyond the paved lot that sloped down to the water. It was a peaceful spot, despite the bustling city around us.

"It's really nice here," I said as we walked down the small incline to the bank where a boardwalk was built.

"It is, I come here to draw a lot. It's the only nature oriented spot here," he said.

"Well, if you like nature, you'd like LaPush, it's all that's there," I laughed.

"It sounds peaceful," he whispered, leaning on the railing overlooking the water.

"Ya, most of the time," I shrugged. He gave me a funny look, but didn't ask any questions. For that, I was thankful.

"Then when you go back, I'll have to come visit you," he concluded, smiling down at me. I looked back up at him in disbelief.

"Really?" I asked, sounding dumb even to myself.

"Ya, unless you don't want me to, of course," he added, looking a bit let down.

"No, I want you too. It would be fun," I admitted.

"Ya, it would be," he smiled, looking out to the water again.

"Damon?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" He looked back at me, his eyes soft. I looked away from them, suddenly nervous as to what I was about to ask.

"Um, do you believe in… soul mates?" I asked softly, unsure if he could even hear me, but the soft blush on his cheeks indicated that he must have.

He coughed, looking to the water as he contemplated.

"Um, before I answer, could you answer a question for me?" He asked. I looked up at him, puzzled, but nodded. He took a breath, "do you believe in 'love at first sight'?"

I contemplated that for a moment, speaking purposefully when I answered.

"If you asked me that question about a month ago, I would have told you that 'love at first sight' was bull crap… but now, I do believe it's possible," I answered.

I looked up at him then, our eyes locking with one another's, and for once in my life I truly believed the words that I had just spoken. I don't think I ever spoke the truth as much as I did now. Because saying that I didn't believe in love at first sight, would be saying I didn't believe that we could be together. And no matter how much I wanted better for him, I wanted him ten times more.

"Ya, I believe in soul mates," he whispered, closer to me than ever before.

"Do you think… we could be?" I wondered, brave Leah back after so long.

"I'd say… it's-definitely, possible," he gulped, still closer.

"Want to try?"

"…yeah."


	6. The Artisan at work

"_Ya, I believe in soul mates," he whispered, closer to me than ever before._

"_Do you think… we could be?" I wondered, brave Leah back after so long._

"_I'd say… it's-definitely, possible," he gulped, still closer._

"_Want to try?"_

"…_yeah."_

_

* * *

  
_

With that one word spoken our lips touched, sealing the deal to try. Nothing was promised, but it was a start, it was a beginning, and I never wanted it to end.

I had kissed many guys in my lifetime, but no kiss was quite like this. This one was slow and hesitant, soft and gentle. It was perfect. As the seconds ticked on I linked my arms around his neck, holding him in place as his slid around my waist, arcing me towards him.

When we did break apart for air we stood staring into the other's eyes, our arms still around each other.

"I-… is this…" Damon tried, obviously confused.

"It's whatever you want it to be," I told him, pulling my arms away so he could think properly, but he held my waist tightly.

"I- it's strange… I've only known you for… what? A week? Anyway, I-I'm not the type to jump into things, but… this feels… right," he murmured, his eyes closed as he chewed his lip. My heart swelled at this proclamation. I had thought, with my big mouth, I would have just ruined it, but I couldn't wait, I couldn't hold back anymore. I still can't, but I have to enough for his sake. I can't screw it up now that I actually have what I want.

"Ya, it does," I agreed, slowly laying my head against his chest. He sighed, his arms tightening around me.

We stood like that for some time, simply looking out at the rippling waves, each consumed in our own thoughts of the last five minutes.

"Um, we should probably head home," Damon said softly, pulling away just enough so he could look into my face.

"Sure," I agreed, letting him lead me back to the car by the hand. I was sad when I had to let go and get into the car. I would have grabbed it again once we were on the road, but the way he was holding the steering wheel made me rethink that action.

"Damon?" I asked softly, wanting to start a conversation.

"Hmm?" He asked, sounding apprehensive, since the last time I asked a question it was if he believed in soul mates. Thankfully, this one was going to be many times easier.

"What's your favorite color?"

He laughed, the tension in his frame relaxing tremendously.

"Green, you?" He responded, still laughing slightly.

"Hmm, ironic, I like green as well," I told him.

"Ok… what's your favorite, um… animal?" He asked. I laughed at that, of course he would ironically ask me that.

"Wolves," I grinned.

"Hey, I like wolves too! They're really beautiful creatures! I've drawn a couple," he said. My grin broadened, and he wanted to draw me right? Ha! This was way too weird!

"Wow, this is strange," I said with an awkward chuckle, Damon laughed.

"Ya, kinda," he agreed.

We were silent after that. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what would be appropriate, so I just kept my mouth shut.

"Hey, you mind if I draw?" Damon asked when we were back at the apartment and seated comfortably on their overstuffed sofa.

"No, not at all! Do you mind if I watch?" I asked, hopeful, he chuckled.

"Sure."

With that he set pencil to paper, smooth arch's and rigid lines flowing along the page in a rhythmical pattern. Connecting here, arching away there, it was a beautiful process that simply fascinated me.

I was so busy watching his every detailed mark and line, I didn't really get a good look at the picture for quite some time, but when I did, I realized it was a peaceful lake, with woods surrounding it. A full moon splashed it's glow about the scene, making the water gleam and the tree's come to life with color, even if the picture was simply black and white.

"You know, that really reminds me of home," I said, gesturing to the drawing.

"Really? I've been drawing a lot of images like this lately, most of them have wolves in it too. I'd never drawn anything like this in my life before a couple weeks ago, and lately, it's all I've been drawing," Damon said, thoughtful. Hmm, was that his omen I was coming? God I sure hoped so!

"That is strange, but it's really beautiful. Even if it's not colored I feel like it is," I said, imagining the fading green of the tree's and the dark blackness of the lake. Those were colors I was used to seeing, being a werewolf and all, especially in LaPush, where the majority of things were green.

Damon laughed. "Good, that's the point," he said, satisfied as he added the last few touches and signed it. "Here, you can keep this one," he said, handing ripping it out of his sketch pad and handing it to me.

"Really?" I gasped, completely shocked.

"Ya, like I said, I've been drawing tons of pictures like these, I can always draw another one," he shrugged, putting down his tools and leaning back against the couch.

"Wow, thank you!" I said, looking at the picture as though I were mesmerized.

"No problem," he laughed, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

I smiled at him, then looked back to the picture, taking in the fine curves, and the beautiful shading. It really was a masterpiece!

"Um, has anyone ever told you before that you have really pretty hair?" Damon asked. I turned to him, completely shocked, he flushed. "I-um, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"

"No no! You didn't offend me. I'm just… shocked. I mean, no one's ever said that before. Well, except my family," I said, and yes, I did include the pack as my family.

"Really? That's rather surprising," he said, reaching out and picking up a strand of it. When did he become so bold? "You know, when you look at it, it appears black, but with a closer look it's actually a dark brown with a bit of red in it," he said, looking intently at the strand that he held in his hand.

"Um thank you," I said nervously, not sure what to make of all this. On top of that, my heart was beating like a race horse, making me wonder how it was possible that he couldn't hear it!

"Yeah…," he said, picking up his drawing pad again, then reaching under the table to pull out a large box of colored pencils. Without letting go of my hair he picked through the wide assortment of colors and pulled out a deep brown, and a coppery red.

He held them up to my head, nodded, then began to color.

I watched curiously as his hand moved swiftly across the page once again. It appeared that he was actually drawing me, but he stopped after doing the hair. There was no face.

"Hmm, it still doesn't seem to be the right color," he said sadly, finally dropping my hair and putting his things away.

"Sorry," I mumbled, not sure what else to say. My god! Since when has Leah Clearwater been this shy?! This is horrible!

"Oh! It's not your fault, in fact I find that rather nice. It means your hair is it's unique color and cannot be copied. Though, I kind of already knew that. I just couldn't help but prove that theory," he said, once again settling back into the couch.

"Oh, ok," I said.

"Um, sorry if that made you feel awkward or something. I just get those sudden impulses and if I don't go for them they'll drive me mad until I do!" he said rather sheepishly as he glanced at me from under his dark eyelashes.

"Oh it's fine, and I was just confused, that's all," I told him, not being completely truthful.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll warn you next time, deal?"

"Deal," I agreed.

"Now, would you like to watch the game? You seemed pretty interested in it the other night," he said.

"That would be perfect!" I said, excited that we could now watch the game. It wasn't a really girly thing to watch, but I couldn't help myself, watching football has always been one of my favorite pastimes.

"You know, I don't think I've ever met a girl who's liked football as much as you do," Damon chuckled as he turned on the television and changed the channel.

"Yeah well, living around men your whole life kind of rubs off on you after a while," I shrugged, completely used to people being taken aback by my obsession.

"Yup, that would do it!" He laughed, relaxing against the couch as we both became entranced by the T.V. screen.

Then, at that moment, we heard a loud bang outside, like someone opening the door to the complex.

"What was that?" I wondered.

"Who knows, maybe someone coming from a bad night or something," Damon shrugged, his focus returning to the game.

That was until Mike came flying in the door, slamming it loudly behind him. The torrent of noise was not over yet however because someone outside the door began to wail.

"Mike! You better get you lying ass out here or I'm gonna break the fucking door down!"

"Dude, what did you do to piss her off?" I asked, shocked as I watched Mike cringe and slowly back away from the shaking door.

"Well, uh, its kinda a long story," he said sheepishly.

Damon shook his head. "Let me guess, you pretended to be me again, didn't you?"

I stared at him quizzically, absolutely lost.

Mike however grinned, giving Damon the thumbs up. Damon sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You know, doing that to girls is hardly fair. Why don't you just be yourself?" He asked.

"Well that's no fun! Plus, what girl would like a grubby old mechanic over a sensitive artist?"

"Most probably, because most of us aren't very good at fixing cars, you see," I put in.

"Really?" Mike asked, shocked. I nodded. "Well damn, maybe I'll try that!"

He then marched over to the door and opened it, but before he could even begin to speak, he had a fist in his face, a very angry Veronica storming through the door, a torrent of rage.

"Why the hell would you lie about that? Just to get sex? I thought you wanted me to pose for you dammit!!!!!!" she raged, punching him as hard as she could.

"Ow! Hey, hold on a second!" Mike cried, shielding his face with his arms.

"No I will not 'hold on a second!'" She cried, hitting him again. "You are a filthy liar, and if you ever come near me again I'm calling the cops!" She screamed, then hit him one last time for good measure before marching out the door and thundering down the stairs.

"Well, that was mildly entertaining," I said, a smile on my face, and to my great amazement, Damon was smiling too.

"Yeah, it is pretty funny, isn't it? Mike tends to get himself into all kinds of trouble with women," he said wisely.

"I'm coming to realize this," I responded, standing up and heading over to Mike.

"Hey, you ok? You nose is bleeding pretty bad," I said. He looked up at me, a disgruntled look on his face.

"Do I look ok to you?" He snapped.

"No not really, just thought I'd ask though," I shrugged, then went to close the door before going and fetching a washcloth and giving it to him.

"So why did you pretend to be Damon anyway? Why not just be yourself? It would have saved you from the nose bleed," I said, Mike snorted.

"Yeah whatever! Like any girl would like me!" He cried, getting swiftly to his feet and marching to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Wow, he's got a pretty low self esteem doesn't he," I said, slowly standing up. I kind of felt bad for the guy. He reminded me of Seth a little bit, before he found his imprint of course.

"Yeah, he's not very confident about himself, but why on earth he impersonates me, I will never understand. I can't see why girls would like me any better than him, at least he talks!"

"I don't know, I think both of you are pretty cool," I said, trying to sound innocent. Truthfully, I couldn't see why anyone would not like Damon, but I was prejudiced.

Damon chuckled softly, reclaiming his seat on the sofa and patting the spot next to him. I slowly walked over and sat beside him.

"Thanks, you're pretty cool yourself," he smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of my face and tucking it carefully behind my ear.

This small caress sent my heart into a frenzy. I was surprised that he couldn't hear it!

"Well, I should probably get to bed regardless, I have to go into the gallery tomorrow," he sighed, stretching and slowly standing up.

"That gallery?" I questioned.

"Yeah, the gallery my friend and I co-own. I haven't been there in a while, so I should at least go check up on things," he yawned.

"Oh, cool," I responded, suddenly not looking forward to being alone tomorrow.

"Um, you think you'd like to come with me?" Damon asked suddenly, and I raised my head.

"Of course! That would be amazing!" I exclaimed, Damon smiled at this, bending down so he was level with me, and my breath caught in my throat.

"Awesome. Sleep tight Leah," he said softly, leaning in and kissing my cheeks softly, then straightening quickly and heading down the hall.

Needless to say, I couldn't get to sleep at all that night.

* * *

**A.N.** _Wow! Ok I know, reeeeeaaaalllllyyyy long wait! And I am sooo sorry! I hope the next one won't be as far off, but please bare with me if it is. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope you all haven't disappeared!_

_~blue_


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